Dieting mothers to be increase child obesity risk

According to diet research from the University of Nottingham, children whose mothers took on excessive diets during their pregnancies could face a greater risk of obesity and other health problems later in life.
The study was conducted as part of EARNEST – the early nutrition programming project. To reach their conclusion the researchers studied lambs whose mothers were on a restricted diet .
Professor Mike Symonds reportedly commented: “Sheep are very good [animals] in which to investigate these effects because they have a similar length of pregnancy to humans and the lambs are at a similar stage of development when they are born. The findings emphasise the need to maintain optimal food intake throughout pregnancy and also indicate the potential dangers of excessive dieting at this time.”

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